Board's vote opens door to Harris Teeter return

Michael Barrett

Thursday

Feb 6, 2014 at 12:01 AMFeb 6, 2014 at 11:16 PM

A proposed Harris Teeter shopping center scored a unanimous thumbs-up Thursday night from the Gastonia Planning Commission. The panel voted 7-0 in favor of a developer’s plan to build the 53,000-square-foot grocery store on 9 acres near the intersection of Robinwood and Kendrick roads. The decision came after an extensive meeting that prompted comments from supporters and opponents of the project. It marked the first clear-cut vote of approval for MPV Real Estate of Charlotte, which has been trying to build a Harris Teeter-anchored shopping center near the Gaston Country Club in southeast Gastonia for almost a year. A previous bid to build a 104,000-square-foot shopping center across the street from the current site was rejected last summer by the Gastonia City Council. Commissioner Mark Epstein said after Thursday’s outcome that several factors played into the vote. For example, this development will fit within the goals of the city’s 2025 comprehensive plan — unlike the last one — and the current one is half the scale and scope of its predecessor. Unlike last year’s proposal, the land to be rezoned is not currently designated for a residential use. The unanimous vote means the decision will stand as long as no one appeals it within the next 15 days. If an appeal is filed, the decision will go to City Council again. Around six residents spoke in favor of the project Thursday, including Gaston County Commission Chairman Tracy Philbeck and Donny Hicks, executive director of the Gaston County Economic Development Commission. About twice as many residents spoke against it, and many of them own adjoining property. Steve Vermillion, managing partner of MPV Real Estate, said earlier this week he strongly suspected Harris Teeter would not consider another location if it were turned away a second time from the Robinwood-Kendrick area. The grocery chain has done extensive marketing studies that validate that as the optimal location, he said.

Both sides of the fence: Some residents who filed into the courthouse before the meeting didn’t know how to feel about the project, while others said they were vehemently opposed. Larry McAllister and Bill Savage are members of Davis Memorial Baptist Church, next door to the proposed grocery site. They want to ensure no island will be installed in the middle of Robinwood Road that would impede the ability to turn left or right out of the church parking lot. They also want assurances that a privacy screen or wall will be built, and that the shopping center’s activities won’t negatively affect church services on Sunday and Wednesday. “Right now, we’re on the fence,” McAllister said. Luvina Glover and her husband Bill live in Randolph Park, a community of patio homes off Kendrick Road. The shopping center would be just a hop, skip and a jump from their backyard. “We have mixed emotions about it. I’m not too happy with the location,” she said. “I know something’s going to be built there. I guess it could be worse than the Harris Teeter.” When leaving their subdivision, Glover said, they already struggle to turn onto a curve in Kendrick Road with bad visibility. They dread the additional traffic that may be on the horizon. She still resents Harris Teeter for selling its Gastonia stores to Lowes Foods two years ago. “It’s the conditions under which they left,” she said. “I’d rather see a Publix.” Roger Stowe opposed the previous site MPV Real Estate sought to develop for a larger shopping center last year. It would have bordered his yard on Kendrick Road and decreased his property value, he said. He’s no more supportive of this plan. “It’s the same old story,” he said. “We don’t need a shopping center in the middle of the finest neighborhood in the county. They’re trying to create things that don’t need to be there.” Debbie Davis lives within a mile of the Robinwood-Kendrick intersection, but doesn’t want it. Like many, she also harbors resentment about Harris Teeter’s departure. “I do not have a vendetta against Harris Teeter,” she said. “Had they asked me what I thought before I left, I would’ve begged them to stay.” It’s simply the wrong location for a large grocery store, Davis said. “It’s infringing on neighborhoods and I just think it’s the wrong place to be,” she said. Still, if developers follow through with some of the things they promised during a community meeting last month, such as a brick wall screening the development from their home, Glover said she may be able to live with it. “If they come through with what they proposed at that time, it will be pretty good,” she said.

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or on Twitter @GazetteMike.

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